Lethbridge expected to make back millions from Tim Hortons Brier

It’s one of the biggest sporting events during curling season but hosting an event like the Tim Hortons Brier comes with a hefty price tag. The City of Lethbridge was able to put up one million dollars to bring the Brier to our city, but as Trevor Lewington of Economic Development Lethbridge explains, there is a lot more that goes into it than just hosting the event.

“First of all is the cost of hosting the games, so they hire local contractors, they pay fees to the venue, local foodservice companies. But then there is also the knock-on effects of having that many several thousand competitors and visitors here in the city, they are all spending money on hotels rooms and going to restaurants. So the last time the Brier was hosted pre-pandemic was in Brandon Manitoba, and when they looked at the total economic impact of the event, it was just shy of $7.4 million. So you know if we round that up and say this event is close to $8 million, that eight to one ratio is a pretty good immediate impact,” said Trevor Lewington, CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge.

When the city makes that money back, Lewington says a large portion of it will likely end up being allocated towards the hospitality industry.